Many diseases are transmissible to man and animals by ectoparasites such as ticks. Because some wildlife species (for example white-tailed deer) are capable of propagating and harboring large populations of these ectoparasites, an effective strategy for the prevention of disease transmission should include the treatment of the wildlife that inhabit a treatment area.
In targeted tick eradication areas, the ability to control ticks on wildlife can be a critical factor to the success of an eradication program. For example, cattle ticks were eradicated from the United States in the 1950's, and a quarantine Zone was established along the Texas-Mexico border between Del Rio and Brownsville, Tex. to prevent re-infestation of US cattle herds. Yearly outbreaks of ticks that occur in the quarantine zone are controlled by treating the cattle and by vacating infested pastures. However, the cattle frequently intermingle with grazing (for example) deer so that the cattle are frequently re-infected by the ticks infecting the deer. Any successful cattle tick eradication program must also address the ticks that infect the deer.
Unfortunately, the treatment of significant numbers of wild animals presents multiple challenges. The conventional method for treating wild animals generally comprises tranquilizing the animals, treating the animals, and then releasing the treated animal. However, this process is labor intensive, slow, and dangerous for both the animals and their handlers.
One alternative means of addressing the tick problem is the application of a pesticide-impregnated collar. The current inventors previously patented a device for automatically applying collars (U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,672 to Pound et al., hereinafter “Pound '672”), which is hereby incorporated by reference. However, the apparatus was originally designed to apply hook-and-loop type collars. While these collars are easy to apply, the collars can be dislodged by the heavy underbrush that is a part of the deer's natural habitat.
The need exists for a collar clasp that can be applied using the existing automated collaring equipment (with only minor modifications) wherein the collar connection is more durable and secure than the current hook-and-loop-type collar connection. The current invention comprises a collar clasp that includes a ratcheting “cable-tie” type mechanism that is equally as easy to apply and much more durable and secure than the current collar connection means.